conclude that I charge al rulers with tyrannie The rulers are commaunded of God who is theyr ruler and to whom they shal render an accompt of their doings that they shall punishe the breakers of Gods cōmaundements and to that ende hath God giuen them a sword Woe vnto them therefore if they do not punysh such and defend the innocent And when they do punish the offenders and defend the innocent then do they their dutie So far of do I thinke them to be from the fault of tyrannie But Cerberus woulde fayne haue the Rulers angrie with vs and especially with Crowley And therefore he laboureth to make thē beleue that Crowley saith that which he neuer thought The words that Cerberus hath cited out of my booke against Shaxton when they be indifferently weyghed shall be found none other in effect than are those wordes that Esaie wrate in the. 45. Chapter of his Prophecies where he sayeth thus Vae contendenti cum sictore suo Testa cum testis terrae contendat An dicet lutum sictori suo quid facis opus tuum manibus destituitur That is to say Wo be to him that doth contende with his maker Let the earthen vessell contende with the earthen vesselles Shall the claye saye vnto him that made it what duest thou make and thy worke is not made with handes What other thing can Esaie meane by these words but that as it is a thing farre vnséemely for a piece of clay to stand vp and reason with him that tempereth it with his fingers and to say vnto him why doest thou fashion me after this sort so is it vnséemely that man should reason with God concerning his purpose in making him after this fashion or that or to this vse or that vse But if man wil reason this matter let him reason it with him y ◠is a man as he is so were there some reason in his doings For although one man haue by Gods ordinance authoritie ouer other men yet may not that man do with the rest what he lusteth as God maye doe with his creatures Wherfore I conclude that Cerberus his exclamation with woe worth the sinfull generation of our age c. is not worth the weighing neyther would Cerberus if he had séene thus much before haue thought it worth the writing as I suppose Cerberus Against which errour crieth out the word of God in a multitude of places manifestly prouing that through the grace helpe of God mē may choose and are neyther driuen by absolute necessitie nor compelled by Gods Predestination to commit murder theft treason or any such flagitious offence nor any maner of sinne or euill whatsoeuer it be As for example Moyses sayth Therefore choose life Deut. 30. And Iosua sayeth choose whome you will serue And after when the people promised to serue the Lord only he sayth vnto them you are witnesses vnto your selues that ye haue chosen the Lord to serue him Iosua 24. But afterward when the people forsoke the Lord agayne and chose other Gods the Lord sayth vnto them Goe crie vnto the Gods which ye haue chosen Iud. 10. Christ sayeth Marie hath chosen hir that good part which shall not be taken from hir Luc. 10. Dauid sayth I haue chosen the way of truth and againe in the same Psalme I haue chosen thy commaundements Psalm 119. But the Lord saith by his Prophet Esay They did wickednesse before mine eyes and chose the thyng that pleased me not Esay 65. and in the next chapter he sayth Et elegerunt quae ego nolui And they haue chosen those things whych I would not Esay 66. Thus it is playne that as choose and can not choose agree together so doth their opinion agree wyth the Scripture for such direct contrarietie is betwene choise and meere necessitie betwene violēt compulsion and christian libertie that blacke and white may wyth more possibilitie be coupled in a subiect But it is maruell to see how scrupulous some mē are in these wordes of choyse I doubt whether they dare read these many such like places of scripture which so plainly speake of choyse But perhap they alway skip ouer that word or reade some other in steade therof as the Iewes do Adonai in steade of Iehouah for surely manie are so afrayde of freewill that they fall as the Prouerbe sayth out of the lime Kell into the cole pit from high presumption into depe desperation fiercelie following that olde spirite of wicked Pelagi as before it is touched in the .ix. of his diuelish errors where he affirmeth that if a mā haue neede of Gods helpe then hath he no freedome or choyse at all Thus do they breake theyr shippe vpon the perillous rocke seeking to escape the daungerous Hurlepole For an horrible presumption it was of Pelagius to thinke that a man by nature had such power to choose good and refuse euill that he needed not the grace and helpe of God and a desperate opinion is this of other to say that the predestination of God worketh all things in man whether it be good or euill and that a man can not choose but do whatsoeuer he doth For no doubt thys opinion maketh a verie disordered Chaos and an vtter cōfusion of al thyngs as it were mixing thrusting together both heauen earth and hell Making one confused lumpe of God the Diuell and the world Of sinne grace and nature turning all doings into dreames all trueth into traunces all veritie into sables all prayer and meditation into vaine imagination For if Gods predestination be the onlie cause of Adams fall and filthie sinne and consequently the onely cause and worker of all euill yea euen wyth compulsion sorce as they shamefully and plainly affirme then will no man denie that on the other side Gods predestination worketh as violently in all thyngs that are good So then if Gods predestination work all without all exception both in euill and good then all other things whatsoeuer they be although they appeare to worke and doe some thing yet doe they in dede vtterly nothyng So that the Diuell doth nothyng man doth nothing lawes do nothing doctrine doth nothing prayer doth nothyng but Gods predestination doth altogether is the efficient cause yea and the only cause of all thyngs Agaynst thys opinion the worde of God is exceding playne and manifest not only in the places before rehearsed but also in these folowing here briefly noted yea and abundantly throughout the whole Scripture Gene. 4. a. Reg. 24. b. 1. Para. 21. b. Pro. 3. d. Eccle. 15. c. 4. Esd 7. b. d. g. e. 9. a. Luk. 10. d. f. Ioā 1. b. Act. 5. a. 1. Cor. 7. g. 9. a. 10. c. 14 f. 2. Cor. 13. c. Phil. 4. c. Heb. 11. Against this euill opinion also doe all the auncient Doctors wyth one cōsent vehemently write as they by themselues cannot denie except only Augustine whych bicause of his exceeding obscuritie and
Austens name But bycause I promised before to proue mine affirmation as well by the iudgement of Auncient writers as by Scripture I will adde the iudgement of one or two moe whose autoritie and antiquitie is not to be dispised Of the which Ambrose shall be one Writing vpon the Epistle to the Romans he sayth Sicut per vnius delictum in omnes homines in condemnationem sic per vnius iustitiam in omnes homines in iustificationem vitae Hoc est sicut per vnius delictum omnes condemnationem meruerunt similiter peccantes ita in iustitia vnius omnes iustificabuntur credentes Si qui autem condemnationem hanc generalem esse putant simili modo iustificationem generalem accipient Sed non est verum quia non omnes credunt Sicut enim per inobedientiam vnius hominis peccatores constituti sunt plurimi ita et per vnius obedientiam iusti constituentur multi Quos supra omnes dixit hic plures multos significat Plures enim delictum Adae secuti sunt praeuaricando non omnes multi iusti constituentur non omnes Non ergo in eos regnauit mors qui non peccauerunt in similitudine preuaricationis Adae That is to say Euen as by one mans sinne giltinesse came vpon all men to condemnation so did iustification of lyfe come vpon all mē through the righteousenesse of one man That is euen as by the sinne of one man all men that doe sinne as he dyd haue deserued condemnation euen so all that do beleue shall be iustified in the righteousenesse of one man And if any doe think that this condemnation is general let them in lyke maner take the iustification to be generall But that is not true bycause all men doe not beleue For euen as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so by the obedience of one man many shall be made righteous The Apostle doth here call those same many that he did before call all For many haue in sinning folowed the sinne of Adam but not all and many shall be made righteous but not all Death therefore hath not raigned ouer them which haue not sinned in lyke sort as Adam did These be the wordes of Ambrose Which though at the first sight they séeme to incline to the errour of Pelagius yet when they be well weighed they giue a good and sounde meaning That is that sinne neuer raigned in any of Gods elect For although the elect of God in as much as they be the childrē of Adam be partakers of Adams sinne and in Adam condemned yet are they by Christe deliuered from that condemnation so that sinne hath in them no dominion at all Which thing appeareth in them by the fayth in Christ which when they come to knowledge they doe both by wordes and workes declare That this is the meaning of Ambros doth very plainely appeare by that he sayth that all the beleuers shall be iustified For what nedeth iustification where no condemnatiō was Thus much I thought good to write concerning y ◠simple meaning of this auncient Father least any mā of simplicity mistaking his meaning might think y t he should denie y e Elect to be conceyued and borne in originall sinne from which neuer any that was borne Christ only excepted coulde be frée But this is his meaning that in the Elect and chosen Children of God this sinne hath no dominion as it doth appeare by their obedience that they shewe in beleuing the Gospell but in the Reprobates it beareth rule still For Christ hath not killed it in them And to make an ende of this matter Saint Paule sayth thus in his eyght chapter to the Romans Who shall laye any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that doth iustifie who is it that shall condemne If all mankinde then be elected in Christ as Cerberus sayth then shall no sinne be layde to any mans charge For who dare accuse Gods chosen children And so shall Cerberus doctrine be the destruction of all vertue as he hath afore affirmed of the doctrine we teache of Predestination As for that which Cerberus citeth out of the seconde chapter of S. Iohns first Epistle the other places that he sendeth the Reader vnto I doe nowe passe ouer as sufficiently aunswered by that I haue written concerning S. Paules meaning in the fift to the Romans Cerberus The fift of Pelagius errours was that riche men being baptized except they did vtterly renounce and forsake their riches though they seeme to doe some good yet is it not accepted neither can they haue the Kingdome of God A filthy and an abhominable errour directly repugnant both to the state of the common wealth and also to the worde of God which sayth Charge them that be riche in this world that they be not exceding wyse c. And that they doe good and be riche in good workes c. The sixt errour is that the grace of God and the helpe of God is not giuē to euery one of our works but that it is in free choyse in the lawe and in doctrine This errour is exceding wicked and execrable that mā by the law by doctrine and by free choise is able to doe any maner of good worke whatsoeuer it be without the grace and helpe of God For as S. Paule sayeth we are not sufficient of our selues to think any thing as of our selues but our ablenesse cōmeth of God And againe It is God that worketh in vs both the will and the dede euen of good will The seuenth errour is that the grace of God is giuen according to our deseruing Vile and abhominable is this errour also and contrary to the manifest minde and words of the Apostle which sayth If it be of workes then is it no more grace for then were deseruing no more deseruing The eyght errour is that none can be called the children of God except they be all together made without sinne This errour is lyke wicked with the rest directly repugnant to the open Scripture where it is written If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. For as S. Iames saith of himselfe and of all other In many things we sinne all Crowley In these foure errours Cerberus can finde nothing to charge vs with all and therfore he goeth about to get himselfe credite among the simple Christians by calling these errours filthy and abhominable exceding wicked and execrable vile and abhominable and lyke wycked with the reste But if a man might come to reason with Cerberus I thinke it woulde fall out in the ende that he is not so cleare of the sixt errour as he would séeme to be when he calleth it exceeding wicked and execrable For if he were asked why feared he to translate Saint Paules words according to his meaning when he saide to the Philippians Deus est qui operatur
But to giue a little more light to the Reader I wyll note one sentence more out of that that S. Austen wryteth concerning the heresie of Pelagius Illam vero gratiam Dei sine qua nihil boni possumus facere non esse dicunt nisi in libero arbitrio quod nullis suis praecedentibus meritis ab illo accepit nostranatura ad hoc tantum ipso adiuuante per suam legem atque doctrinam vt discamus quae facere quae sperare debeamus Nos autem ad hoc per donum spiritus sancti vt quae didiscerimus esse facienda faciamus That is They say sayth Austen that the grace of God without which we are able to do no good thing is not otherwise than in Frewil which our nature hath receyued of him not by any deseruings that was in the same before he only helping vs herevnto by his law and doctrine that we may learne what we ought to do and what to hope for But we say to this that through the gift of the holy Ghost we may do those things that we haue learned to be méete to be done Here it is playne that Pelagius maketh the grace of God nothing else but an helpe to the Frée wil of man Whether Cerberus and his fellowes do so too or not let thē iudge that reade his words that are written in his aunswere to this letter and do weygh them with indifferent mindes Now as touching that place that Cerberus citeth out of the sermon De tempore that is of the time 191. Although I knowe what Austen himselfe writeth of all his Epistles and his sermons saying that he had not perused or retracted thē when he set forth his two bookes of Retractations neither doeth it appeare in any of his writings that euer he did retract them Yet I will not reiecte it as none of Austens wordes for the doctrine is sound if it be rightly vnderstande It is possible for man by the power of God to be preserued from Actuall sinne although he can neuer be without the sinne of concupiscence so long as he liueth in mortall flesh So is it possible also yea it can not be chosen but vnlesse God doe by his grace staye man he shall commit Actuall sinne after his regeneration and of him self man is not able to stay him self from it But what make Austens wordes against vs We confesse with Austen that man hath alwayes néede of Gods helpe and we say with the same Austen that they do erre which say that man can not auoyde sinne but yet as I haue sayd before being stayed by the power of God For otherwise these wordes of Austen should be contrary to his owne wordes in his 13. sermon De verbis Apostoli Of the wordes of the Apostle Where he sayeth thus In hoc agone cum constigimus Deum habemus spectatorem in hoc agone cum laboramus Deum poscimus adiuterem Si enim nos ipse non adiuuat non dico vincere sed nec pugnare poterimus That is When we sight in this battayle we haue God to beholde and loke vpon vs when we are in daunger in this battayle we do pray vnto God to helpe vs. But if he do not helpe vs I say not that we shall not ouercome but that we shall not be able so much as to fight We wil not therefore set Austen against him self but take that meaning of his wordes in one place that may agrée with his wordes in another place And so are we with Austen and not against him as Cerberus layeth to our charge Neyther do we holde with Pelagius in any vntruth but if he do in any poynt confesse truth then do we agrée with him although S. Austen shoulde say to the contrary Loke better vpon your conclusion therefore good master Cerberus and learne to apply Scriptures better than you haue applied the words of S. Paul to the Phillippians else men will say ye vnderstand not S. Paule for S. Paule doth not there goe about to ascribe any thing to the power of his owne Frée will but altogether to set forth the exceeding great mercy of God towards him who did stay him from falling both in aduersitie and in wealth As it may well appeare to al that will with iudgement reade the place Your sentence also cyted out of Esoras you shoulde knowe it not to be of such authoritie that it might serue in the triall of such a cause as this is But graunt it were of the greatest authoritie What can it make against vs which deny not that man hath a choise which in some sort is free as I haue declared but do cōfesse that man which despiseth the warnings and long sufferings of God in this life shall after this life in paynes learne to vnderstand what they did then But procéede as you sayde you would Cerberus There followeth the tenth and the eleauenth errours which are these That our victorie commeth not of Gods helpe but of free choyse and that remission of sinnes is not giuen to thē that repent according to the grace and mercy of God but according to the deseruing and labor of them whych by repentaunce are worthy of Gods mercy O blasphemie intollerable O filthy puddle and sincke moste execrable full of stinking errours full of damnable presumption like to the pride of Lucifer moste abhominable the detestable vilenesse whereof is such that rather by exclamation I haue thought it good to renoūce it than with Scripture or reason to confute it All reason and all Scripture gyueth all glory vnto God And this blasphemous errour taketh awaye all the glorye of al goodnesse from the father of all mercy and God of al consolation and gyueth it vnto vile and wretched man which hath of him selfe nothing that is good but doeth altogether receiue it from the mercy and goodnesse of God Here concludeth Austen wyth the errours of Pelagius and sayth that all these errours he reuoked or renounced in the generall Counsell of Palestine Crowley I haue not sworne to finde faulte with all that Cerberus writeth in this his aunswere as it may seme that he hath to reproue and depraue all that I and other that haue or do write or speake of Gods predestination do or haue affirmed I will therefore ioyne with Cerberus in this detesting and renoūcing of these Pelagian errours as one that doth abhorre them no lesse than he doth And bicause man can sée no further than these things that be outward I do with all mine heart wish that he would make it knowen vnto men by such meanes as maye be most to his glorye whether we or Cerberus and his felowes do in y ◠heart detest and abhorre these errors most I will not enter into iudgement but there is cause to suspect that Cerberus and his sorte be not so cleare as by these wordess they would seme to be But let God be Iudge Cerberus Thus haue I set forth in Englyshe
my writing I acknowledge also that Cerberus hath cited the wordes truely euen as I wrate them But that I ment by them as Cerberus doth conclude vpon them I vtterly deny For he concludeth that I haue affirmed that Gods predestination is the onely cause of all euill Whiche I neuer ment to teache neither do my wordes duely considered giue any occasion of such conclusion I graunt my words might haue bene more explaned and my meaning set forth more at large and all occasions of suche calumniations cut off if I had sene that before I wrate that booke whiche I thanke my Lord God I haue sene since Wherfore I minde by the help of God to do that now y e I was not so well able to do then that the Reader may perceiue that I haue with Austen profited in writing My words that Cerberus citeth are these Adam therefore being so perfect a creature that there was in him no lust to sinne and yet so weak that of him selfe he was not able to withstande the assault of the subtile serpent no remedie the only cause of his fall must nedes be the predestination of God Cerberus findeth no fault with any of these wordes till he commeth to no remedy And then no remedy I must be condemned as one that affirmeth Gods Predestination to be the onelye cause of Adams sinne and so consequentlye of all sinne But I haue not saide that Gods predestination was the onelye cause or anye cause of Adams sinne My wordes be that Gods Predestination is the onelye cause of Adams fall Nowe Cerberus can not sée howe Adams fall may be good and therefore he sayeth that it is the fountaine of all sinne and that to be the cause of that fall is to be the cause of all sinne But suche as haue eyes to sée do sée that as Gods predestination is the cause of Adams fall so Adams fall is good For it is the meane whereby God hath shut vp all vnder vnbeliefe that he might haue mercye on all And the meane whereby the Scripture shutteth vp all vnder sinne that the promise which is of the faith of Iesus Christ might be giuen to the faithfull I write therefore now as I wrate before in my Consutation of Shaxtons Articles that for asmuch as there was in Adam nothing to moue him to sinne for lust to do contrarie to Gods wil was not yet entred into him Sathan the enimy had no power then neither hath anye power yet ouer anye creature of God further than God doth limit and appoint him it must nedes followe that the only cause that Adam was assaulted ouerthrowen by Satan was the predestination of God which is euer all one with his vnsearcheable will counsel The fall of Adam thus considered neyther is nor can be counted sinne for it is the performance of Gods purpose whiche is euer good although vnsearchable by mans feble vnderstanding And yet I do not denie Adams fall to be sinno in Adam himself for it was Factum cōtramandatum Dei A dede done contrary to the commasidentent of God And so it had a cause in Adam himselfe which was the power of his wil whereby he consented to y e enticement of Satan who vsed the woman as his instrument therin Of thys will and the power therof Sainct Austen writeth thus De libero arbitrio lib. 3. Cap. 18. Cum autem de libera voluntate rectè faciendi loqui 〈…〉 de illa silicet in qua homo factus est loquimur When we speak of the will that is frée to do wel we speake of that will wherein man was made And againe in his booke De natura gratia Cepite 43. speaking of man he saith Quis enim eum nescit sanum inculpabilem factum libero arbitrio atque ad iustè viuendum libera potestate constitutum Who knoweth not that man was made found vnblameable and that he was ordeined with frée choyse and frée power or libertie to liue righteously And againe in his boke De Correptione gratia Cap. 11. Istam gratiam non habuit homo primus qua nunquam vellet esse malus sed sanè habuit in qua si permanere vellet nunquam malus esset sine qua etià m cum libero arbitrio bonus esse non posset sed eam tamenper liberum arbitrium deserere posset Nec ipsum ergo Deus esse voluit sine sua gratia quē reliquit in suo libero arbitrio quoniam liberum arbitrium ad malum sufficit ad bonum autem nihil est nisi adiuuetur ab omnipotenti bono quod adiutorium si homo ille per liberum non deseruisset arbitrium semperesset bonus sed deseruit desertus est Tale quippe erat adiutorium quod desereret cum vellet in quo permancret si vellet non quo sieret vt vellet The firste man had not thys grace whereby he shoulde neuer be willing to be euill but yet he had that grace whereby he might haue bene alwayes preserued from euill if he would haue continued therin and without which also he coulde not by frée will be good but yet he was able by frée wil to forsake it God therfore would not haue him to be without his grace whō he had left in his owne fréewill For fréewil is able inough to do euil but to do good it hath no power at al except it be holyē by the almightie goodnesse which helpe if that man had not by fréewill forsaken he shoulde haue bene good for euer but he did forsake and was forsaken For the helpe was such that he might forsake it when he woulde and suche wherin he might remaine if he woulde not such whereby it might come to passe that he should be willing By these places of S. Austen we maye see of what minde he was concerning the frée will of man before his fall It was suche that hée mighte consent to what hée woulde But the grace to be willing to consent to nothing but that which was good was not giuen vnto mā that man might haue experience of the power of his own will and so for euer after ascribe al the glory to him that worketh all in all The cause of Adams fall therfore euen by the iudgement of S. Austen of whome Cerberus maketh suche boast was not in himself For God had fore appoynted that by that meanes man should haue experience of hymselfe and so learne to trust in one stronger than hymself But the cause that made his fall sinne was in himselfe For he did willinglye consent to the perswasion of his wife who also had in like maner consented to the persuasion of the Serpent If Cerberus could consider the fall of the first man after this sort he would neuer conclude that I teaching that the Predestination of God was the onelye cause of mans fall shoulde withall conclude that it is the onlye cause of all sinne and euill For I do
And why maye I not meane as S. Austen doth in the eleauenth chapter of his booke De correptione gratia where he sayeth as I haue cited before Nec ipsum ergo Deus esse voluit sine sua gratia quem reliquit in su◠libero arbitrio quoniam liberum arbitrium ad malum sufficit ad bonum autem nihil est nisi adiuuctur ab omnipotēti bono quod adiutoriū si homo ille per liberum non deseruissaet arbitrium semper esset bonus sed deseruit desertus est Tale quippe erat adiutoriū quod desereret cum vellet in quopermaneret sivellet non quo fieret vt vellet God therfore sayth Austen would not suffer him to be without his grace whom he had left in hys owne frée choise for free will is able inough to do euill but to do good it hath no power at all except it be holpen of the almighty goodnesse which help if that man had not by his frée wil forsaken he should haue bene good for euer but he did forsake was forsaken For the help was such that he might forsake it when he woulde and suche wherein he might remaine if he woulde not such whereby it might come to passe that he should be willing Doth not S. Austen affirme here that the help of God which Adam had was not suche that by it he might be willing neuer to forsake it And what other cause of this can you find thā the Predestination of God which is according to his euerlasting will vnto the whiche all things are and must be subiect If Cerberus will not be satisfied with thys let him remember the saying of S. Paule which S. Austen doth so often vse to stop the mouthes of the vnaunswereable enimies of Gods frée grace and predestination O altitudo diuitiarum sapientiae scientiae Dei. Quám incomprehensibilia sunt iudicia cius inuestigabiles viae cius O the depenesse of the richesse of the wisedome and knowledge of God Nowe incomprehensible are hys iudgementes and hys wayes past finding out Stay here maister Cerberus go no further I charge you lest ye be thrust headlong into hell for your proube presumption Cerberus And although there be some places of Scripture whervpon they would ground this opiniō that men should sinne by the wyll of God or that God should predestinate or ordeyne men to sinne as where it is sayde that God hardened the heart of Pharao and such like yet partayneth it nothing to that purpose if it be wayed with the rest of the Scriptures For as Austen saith Ipse quasi cos indurat quia iusto iudicio indurari sinit Lib. de essentia Diuinitatis He doth saith Austen as it were harden them bicause that with his iust iudgemēt he suffreth them to be hardened And in his booke De libero arbitrio gratia Cap. 21. he sayeth Where at any time we reade in the scripture that mē be seduced or their hearts hardened of God there may we not doubt but that their wicked deseruings went before lest ye runne sayth he into the saying of Salomon Insipientia viri violat vias cius Deum autem causatur in corde suo The foolishnesse of a man defileth his wayes but he sayeth in his heart God is the cause of this hardening of heart Melancthon in his common places speaketh very plainely saying Nec figure illae verborum offendunt c. Neither sayth he do these figuratiue speaches offēd As I wil harden the heart of Pharao such like For it is certaine that in the Hebrew phrase they signify a permission or suffring and not an effectuall wyl of God as Lead vs not into temptation that is to say Suffer vs not to be led into temptation These are Melancthons woordes And marke what he sayth of the Hebrew phrase for al men know him to be a man learned But to be short it is surely to be maruelled at that although they do thus accuse Gods Predestination to be the only cause of Adams fal which is in dede not onely sinne but also the very welspring of al wickednesse and the filthy foūtaine of all our vncleānesse yet they dare affirme themselues to be the only friendes and louers of Gods Predestination al others to be the enimies of Gods holy Predestination which doe not subscribe to this their fantasticall imagination Moreouer if it should be said that they make God the Autor of sinne they would crie naye and saye they were slaundered But whether God be not the autor of that whereof he is the onelye cause let the vncorrupted heart iudge Also to saye the truth when they see their time and place they are bolde inoughe yea euen to vse the terme Autor in that same manifest sense as in a boke set forth by Iohn Knox against an aduersarie of Gods Predestination as he calleth hym where in the. 158. pagine he sayth thus Therfore whatsoeuer the Ethnickes and ignorant did attribute vnto Fortune wee assigne to the prouidence of God And straight way he sayth We shall iudge nothing to come of fortune but that all cōmeth by the determination of hys counsell And furder it displeaseth him when we esteme any thing to procede from any other so that we do not behold hym and know him not only the principall cause of al things but also the auctour appointing al things to the one part or to the other by his counsell Marke well his wordes and the very sense therof All commeth of God sayth he God is the principal cause and God is the auctour of it whatsoeuer it be God appointeth al things both to the one part and to the other both to the wicked and to the godly all things nothing is excepted aswell damnation as saluation as well sinne as vertue as well wickednesse as holynesse yea if it happen to be murder it selfe for that a little before he rehearseth Whatsoeuer it be it procedeth from none other saith he but frō God God so hath appointed it God is the principal cause of it Yea and not onely the principall cause but also the auctor of it Here seest thou those playne termes which sometime for a little nice lispyng they can not or will not speake that God is the auctour of all murder and mischiefe As for fortune I knowe it to be an Heathenish fable but where he saith that God is not onelye the principall cause but also the auctour of all things without any exception and that whatsoeuer the Ethnickes attributed vnto fortune that same we ought to ascribe to the prouidēce of God it is suche a wide wandring and large blasphemye as hath not bene lightlye heard For who knoweth not that vnto fortune the Ethnickes ascribed treason and craftie conspiracie As where they call her Insidiosa Persida Malesida Vnto fortune they ascribe cruell murder and tyrannicall mischiefe As when they call her Aspera Dura Saeua Truculenta Vnto fortune they ascribed filthy lust and
the freewill men Here thou seest dearly beloued who they are that so odiouslie are noted with the name of freewyll men Not only the Papistes against whom he pretendeth there to wryte but namely all those that saye God hath not predestinate any man to cōmit murder or such like wycked abhomination These call they free-will men these cal they Pelagians In dede such as so maintayn freewil that a mā by freewyl wythout the grace and helpe of God may abstayne from euill or do good as the blinde Papistes doe and as before it is proued that Pelagius did holde or as before is rehenrsed that Willyam Samuell sayth that man maye deserue God those I saye might worthily be called Pelagians bicause they hold eyther al or some part of hys errours But those which teach that all murder and mischiese spryngeth out of Gods predestination or that any mansleaer is predestinate of God to kyll hys neighboure or any adulterer to lye with his neyghboures wyfe or any traytour predestinate of God to conspire against hys Prince or any rebell to ryse against his Soueraigne as these men most plainly assyrme they holde in thys poynt the errour of the Manicheans whych was as ye hearde before by the wordes of Austen Hominem peccatum vitare nòn posse That a man can not eschewe euill or can not choose but commit sinne These men I say whych affirme that Caine was predestinate to murder hys innocent brother Abell And as in the same boke and the same Article also he sayth that the most wicked persons that haue bene were of God appointed to bee wycked euen as they were They hold the errour both of the Stoikes and also of the Manicheans That is to say as Austen declareth in the ninth .xvi. chapter of the first boke of his Retractations that euil hath his original of Gods ordinance not of mans freewil For if murderers theues adulterers traitours Rebelles be of God predestinated and appoynted to be wicked euē as they are and can not choose but of mere necessitie by the ordinance of God commit al such wickednesse euen as they do then what is our lyfe but a mere destinie all our doyngs Gods ordynaunces and all oure imaginations braunches of Gods predestinatiō And I doubt not but the Stoikes and Manicheans would also temper the matter wyth a great discretion of wordes as these men wyll saye that we must speake more reuerentlie of the matter But seyng they plainely holde these principles and when they see theyr tyme speake plainely thereof them selues as you maye well perceyue by that whych hath alredy and shal yet be more largely rehearsed I see no cause why it should not of al mē be plainely declared Agayne if it be a trueth why should it not be plainly spoken if it be a truth that traitours be predestinate of God to conspire the destructiō of their Princes and Rebels predestinate of God to make insurrectiō against their soueraines If I say it be a trueth that God hath so predestinated thē that they must of necessity can not choose but commit such wyckednesse why shoulde it not be plainly spoken except a man should be ashamed to speake the trueth But in what Scripture is that written Or is it not rather written For thy lyfe shame not to say the trueth And surelye to say as it is I see not well howe any man can speake more plainely in thys matter than they them selues doe For what can more plainly be spokē thā that Gods predestination is the cause of Adams fall And that Caine was predestinate to slea his brother And that God is both the principal cause and also the author of all thyngs both on the one side and on the other appoynting al things to al men And whatsoeuer the Ethnickes ascribed vnto fortune that same we ought to attribute vnto the prouidence of God And that the most wycked persons that haue bene were of God appointed to be wicked euen as they were Crowley Here it appeareth that the chiese quarrell that Cerberus had when he wrate this aunswere to his friendes letter was against Crowley If the spirit of loue had led him he might haue had conference w t Crowley for belike he knoweth him well ynough not thus maliciously by setting out his answere in print haue gone about asmuch as lieth in him not only to discredit the doctrine y t Crowley preacheth but also to bring him in displeasure with his Prince as one y e teacheth theues murderers traitors rebells al other naughty persons to defend their wickednesse by Gods predestination ordinance But Crowley shal by Gods helpe be able to cleare him selfe of all this to make the malice of Cerberus so knowne to al men that he shal from henceforth haue little credit amōg such as doe not fauour the errour of our new Pelagians For answere to al y ◠Cerberus hath in this his returne to Crowley written I might referre the Reader to that whiche I haue already written But least Cerberus should thinke that that were but a shift I will aunswere to his Taùtologie or repeticion of the same wordes and matter that is before written and answered and chiesly bicause he doth here inferre more playnely that which before he meaneth to conclude I haue saide that Gods predestination was the onely cause of Adams fall that Caine was predestinate to slea his brother Abell and that the most wicked persons that haue bene were of God appointed to be wicked euē as they were For the first I referre the Reader to that which I haue alreadie written thereof For the seconde I say that as God predestinated Abell to be a figure of Christ and his Churche in suffering so he predestinated Caine to be a figure of the cruell persecuting Iewes other that haue do shall persecute Christ his Church And as Caine in sleaing his brother Abell was a figure of the cruell persecutours so was not the murder euill but as it was the execution of Caines wicked will it was abhominable sinne and deserued no lesse punishment at Gods hand than it had in deede And as concerning the power of Caines will whereby he consented to do this deede it was altogether bound to the will of Sathan by the sinne that his Father Adam had first committed was not deliuered from that bondage bicause he was none of them whome Iesus Christ the sonne of God had deliuered and made frée as doeth well appeare by that he sayeth My sinne is greater than that it can be forgiuen He had not receyued the spirite of Adoption whereby he might cry Abba Father Wherefore it is manifest that whatsoeuer he did was abhominable in Gods sight for he lacked fayth whereby mennes workes are made acceptable before God For without it it is impossible to please God As it is written Sine fide impossibile est placere Deo Without fayth it is not possible to please
toto ascribi potest qui in peccantium flagitijs illecebrarum adiutor nòn voluntatum credendus est esse generator Nihil ergo talium negotiorum Deus praedestinauit vt fieret nec illam animam turpitèr nequiterque victuram ad hoc vt taliter vi 〈…〉 eret praeparauit sed talem futuram nòn ignorauit de tali se iustè iudicaturum esse praesciuit Atque ita ad predestinationem eius nihil amplius referri potest nisi quòd ad debitam iustitiae retributionem aùt ad indebitam pertinet gratiae largitateÌ„ That is to say If iâ— should be layd to the Diuels charge that he were the Authour or inuentor of such wicked déedes I suppose he might by some reason vnburden himselfe of this enuie and to proue that the committer of such wickednesses commeth of the will of those men that charge him withall For although he be delited with the outrage of them that sinne yet might he proue that he had not enforced them to commit the faultes By what folly or what madnesse therefore is it agréed that that thing should be referred to the decrée of God which may n 〈…〉 be altogether ascribed to the Diuell which may be thought to be an helper forwarde of the prouocations in the wicked actes of them that sinne but not the begetter of their willes God therefore hath not predestinated any such things to be done neyther hath he prepared that soule to liue filthily and wickedly of purpose that it should so liue but he was not ignorant that it would proue such a one and he knewe before hand that he him selfe should execute iust iudgement vpon such a one And so nothing may be referred to the predestinatiö of God more than that which appertaineth to the due reward of iustice or to the vndeserued gyft of grace or mercy These wordes sayth Cerberus being thorowly weyghed do plainly set forth the full resolution of this question It is very true they do so And therefore I besech thée good Reader weigh them well that thou maist by them be resolued in this matter of Gods predestination And that thou mayst so be thou nedest no more but to weigh the wordes of Austens conclusion wherein he sayth that there can no more be referred to Gods predestination but that only which doth appertaine eyther to the due reward of iustice or else to the vndeserued gift of mercie When Sinacharibs sonnes slew their owne father was not the acte in this murder y t due reward of iustice for that he had blasphemed God And had not God sayd before that he would slea him with the sword for that blasphemie Why may we not then by S. Austens wordes referre this déede to Gods predestination WheÌ„ Absolom abused his fathers wyues was not the acte of that incestious whoredome the due rewarde of iustyce for that Dauid had abused the wife of his seruant Urias And had not God sayd before that he would punish it so Why should not the acte therefore in that incest be referred to Gods predestination euen by these wordes that Cerberus citeth for his purpose In like maner may we say of all other actions which in the men that do theÌ„ are wicked although we know not what sinnes God doth punish by them whereby the same dedes in him are excéeding good and iust If Cerberus would he might haue séene some other places of S. Austen wherein this matter is made more plaine than the bare wordes séeme to make it here First in his .xviij. boke De Ciuitate Dei He sayth thus Elegit discipulos quos Apostolos nominauit humiliter natos inhonoratos illitteratos vt quicquid magnum essent facerent ipse in eis esset faceret Habuit inter cos vnum quo malo vtens benè suae passionis dispositum impleret Ecclesiae suae tollerandorum malorum praeberet exemplum That is to say He that is to say Christ did choose Disciples whom he called also Apostles men borne of poore parentes not called to honour vnlearned that he might be and do in them what so euer they should be or do Among these he had one that was naught that by vsing well that euill and naughtie one he might both fulfill the order of his owne passion and also giue vnto his Church an example how to beare and suffer those that be wicked Againe in his first Sermon vpon the first part of the. 34. Psalme S. Austen sayth thus Ille videbat traditorem suum elegit illum magis adopus necessarium illius malo magnuÌ„ bonum operatus est Et tamèn inter duodecem electus est nè ipse duodenarius taÌ„ exiguus numerus esset sine malo hoc ad exempluÌ„ nostrae patientiae quoniam necesse erat vt inter malos vineremus That is to say He that is Christ did sée and know him that should betraie him and he did the rather choose him as one necessarie for that businesse and by the euill of that traytour he did worke a great good worke And yet was the traitour chosen among the twelue lest that little number of .xij. should be without a naughtie one this was done for an example of our patience bycause of necessitie we must lyue among such as he euill Againe in the. 59. tract vpon Iohn he saith Quod ergo dico inquit beati critis si feceritis ea nòn de oiÌ„bus vobis dico Est inter vos qui nòn erit beatus neque faciet ea ego scio quos elegerim quos nisi cos qui beati erunt faciendo quae praecepit ac facienda monstrauit qui efficere beatos potest Nòn est igitur traditor Iudas electus Quid est ergo quod alio loco dicit Nonnè ego vos duodecem elegi vnus ex vâ—bis Diabolus est An ipse ad aliquid electus est ad quod vtique erat necessarius Nòn autem ad beatitudinem de qua modo ait Beati critis si feceritis ea Hoc nòn de omnibus di cit scit enim quos ad societ atem beatitudinis huius elegerit Nòn est exeis iste qui panem illius sic edebat vt super euÌ„ leuaret calcancum c. That is to say Where as I say therfore saith Christ ye shalbe happie if he shal do those things I do not speak those words of you al. There is one amongst you y â— shall not be happie neyther shall he do those things And I do know whoÌ„ I haue chosen WhoÌ„ hath he chosen None but those that shalbe blessed in doing those things that he which is able to make them blessed hath commaunded shewed y â— they ought to be done Is not y â— traitor Iudas elected then What meaneth that then that Christ saieth in another place Haue not I chosen you .xij. and one of you is a Diuell Was he also elected to some thing wherevnto euen he was necessarie Trulie he
heareth that saying he crieth 〈◊〉 Areade Areade what is this In Cerberus his iudgement eyther Iob must be a liar or else God must be a théefe For when word came to Iob that the Sabeis had slaine his seruauntes and driuen away his cattle he sayd the Lord hath taken theÌ„ away But to take away Iobs cattle was felonie Ergo eyther God was a Felon or Iob a liar if Cerberus his opinion beleue But how God doth worke in the heartes of euill and wicked men and vse them as his instruments and yet is not partaker of their sinne is sufficiently declared afore out of S. Austen De gratia libero arbitrio Nowe Cerberus will looke that I shoulde say some thing to the words of Prosper Otherwise he wil make reckning that he hath the victorie For a little occasion maketh him to brag The obiection that the Frenchmen made against the sentence of S. Austen in the place that Cerberus speaketh of is this Quòd liberum arbitrium in homine nihil sit sed siue ad bonum siue ad malum praedestinatio 〈◊〉 in hominibus â—perctur That is to say That S. Austen should holde that frée will in man is nothing but that Gods predestination doth worke in men whether it be to good or to euill The answere to this obiection is thus Liberum arbitrium nihil esse vel non esse perperam dicitur sed ante illuminationem fidei in tenebris illud in vmbra mortis ac gere nòn rectè nogâ—tur Quoniam priusquam à dominatione Diaboli per Dei gratiam liberetur in illo profundo iacet in quod se sua libertate demersit Amas ergo langores suos profanitate habet quòd agrotare se nescit donec prima haec medela conferatiâ— aegroto vt incipiat nosse quòd langueat possit opem medici desiderare qua surgat Iustificatus itaque homo idest ex impio pius factus nullo praecedente bono merito accipit donum quo medio adquirat meritum vt quod in illo inchoatum est per gratiam Christi etiam per industriam liberi augeatur arbitrij nunquam remoto adiutorio Dei sine quo nec prosicere nec permanere in bono quisquam potest Praedestinationem autem Dei siue ad bonum siue ad malum in hominibus operari ineptissimè dicitur vt ad vtrumque homines quaedam necessitas videatur impellere cum in bonis voluntas sit intelligenda degratia in malis autem intelligenda sine gratia That is To say that frée will is nothing or that there is no frée will at all is euil sayd but that the same doth wander in darknesse and in the shadow of death before it is illumined by faith is not well denied For before it is by the grace of God deliuered from the domination of the Diuell it lyeth in that déepe dongion into which by it owne libertie it did cast it selfe It doth therfore loue it owne sore sicknesses and doth compt it helth not to knowe that it is sicke vntyll this first medicine be ministred to it being sicke that it may begin to know that it is sick and be able to desire the helpe of the Phisition whereby it may aryse When man therefore is iustified that is to say made godlie of vngodlie without any good deseruing going before he receyueth a gift by which meane he maye also get merit or deseruing that that thing which is by the grace of Christ begonne in him may also by the industrie of frée will be encreased neuer without the helpe of God without which no man can eyther go forward or stay in that which is good But it is most foolishly said that the predestinatioÌ„ of God doth so worke in men eyther to good or to euill that a certain necessitie may séeme to force men forward vnto both seeing that in good the will is to be vnderstanded to come of grace in euill the will is to be vnderstanded without grace Now gentle Reader thou seest what it was that the French men obiected against S. Austen Thou séest also what Prosper doth answere in S. Austeus defence CoÌ„sider nowe what occasion Cerberus hath to conclude against vs as he doth The French men obiect that S. Austen should hold that fréewill in man is nothing but that Gods predestination doth worke in men whether it 〈…〉 to good or euyl Prosper aunswereth that it is an euil saying to affirme that fréewill is nothing or that there is no fréewill at al. And that it is most foolishly sayd that the predestination of God doth so worke in the heartes of men either to good or euill that a certaine necessitie may séeme to force men forward vnto both But we do neyther say that fréewill is nothing or that there is none at all neither that predestination doth so worke in men that a certaine necessitie may seme to force them forward both to good and euil No we do not affirme that predestination doeth worke in men any thing at all Ergo Prosper hath written nothing against vs. Cerberus And further Crowley in the sayd booke of confutation before named and the same article vsing the very same terme of driuing he sayeth that Gods predestination hath driuen them to it And yet not therwith content anone after he sayeth We are coÌ„pelled by the necessitie of Gods predestination to do those things for the which we are damned but to repeate the whole sentence To this must we answere sayth he in thys wyse If God were an inferiour to anie superior power to the which he ought to render an accompt of his doings or if anie of vs were not his creatures but of another creation besides his workmanship then might we charge him with tyrannie bicause he condemneth vs and appoynted vs to be punished for the things we doe by compulsion through the necessitie of his predestination Marke here by the way how al rulers be charged wyth tyrannie for punishing of male factors first grauÌ„t thys proposition which he affirmeth That al offenders as murderers theues and traytours coÌ„mit their offences by the compulsion of predestination Secondly this assumpted minor which he also affirmeth that it is tyranny for one whych is an inferior power and not theyr creator to punish them which do commit crimes by such compulsion Then must it needes follow that al rulers are tyrants which punish malefactors and are no creators but inferior powers bicause all malefactors could not chose but commit such wicked offeÌ„ces being driuen therevnto by compulsion through the necessitie of predestination Wo worth the sinful generatioÌ„ of our age which hath bred and brought forth such a noisome noueltie and straunge Paradox to whom the handes of Gods mercie are stretched out all the day long and yet they are euer defying him to the face as the Prophete sayth Esay 65. Consider I desire thee not the persons of them that speake be they neuer so high neuer
darkenesse in diuers places he is often alleaged of both partes Also against this opinion writeth earnestly Philip Melancthon the chiefest and best learned of all the Germaines In like maner doth Bullenger the chiefest and most excellent of all the Switcers The same doth also Erasmus Cercerius and manie other of the best learned Protestantes whose sayings were profitable here to rehearse but that theyr iudgemēt in thys matter is well knowen to all the learned and my determination is at this present rather briefly and simplie to declare what part of doctrine I and many other mislike than wyth long discourse and manie authorities to disproue the same Crowley In a multitude of places sayth Cerberus the worde of God cryeth oute against the doctrine of the necessitie of Gods Predestination manifestly prouing that through the grace and helpe of God men may choose and are neyther driuen by absolute necessitie nor compelled by Gods Predestination to commit murder thefte c. As for example Moyses sayth Deut. 30. Choose lyfe c. Haue I sayde that man is driuen by absolute necessitie Or that he is compelled by the compulsion of Gods Predestinatiō to commit murder theft c I am sure Cerberus is not able to shewe it in any of my writings And I think he hath not séene it in anye of the writings of them that he writeth against But this is his maner when we speake of such a kind of necessitie as followeth vpon the prescience of GOD which can not be deceiued then will he make y ◠worlde beleue that we affirme an absolute necessitie wherein the will wresteling and striuing to the contrarie is enforced to giue place and violently driuen to doe that it woulde not And when we speake of that compulsion that God vseth in deliuering the wicked and obstinate sinners into a reprobate sense to commit things that are vnséemely that by sinning their former sinne might be punished then Cerberus woulde haue men to beleue y ◠we meane of a violent compulsion which man striueth against but is not able to resist the force violence of it Wel I doubt not but the indifferent Readers of this Apologie will haue a better opinion of vs than so For it doth plainely appeare by the words hereof that we teach no such necessitie violent driuing nor compulsion But we saye with the Scripture and auncient and all sounde Fathers that Gods prescience prouidence Predestination can not be disapointed but muste néedes come to passe as he hath foreseene and in prouidence predestinated that it shoulde and yet not without the consent of the wyll in those whome God did knowe before woulde consent and in foreknowledge did appoint to consent and to choose the things which he knewe before that they woulde choose The Scriptures therfore that Cerberus citeth out of Moises Iosua Iudges Dauid and Esaie are nothing against vs for we confesse as much as is taught by them We confesse also that man may by the grace and helpe of God choose to refuse murder theft c. What is it then that Cerberus hath sayde against vs He woulde faine haue men think that we teach that God is not able with his grace and helpe to make men able to refuse y ◠which is euill and to choose to do that which is good As though we should think no better of our God than the heathen Poets did of their Iupiter Whome they bring in lamenting that he was by the destinies letted so that he coulde not doe that good for his deare children y ◠he would gladly haue done for them But we knowe that our God is able to doe what he will doe and that he is present in all places and doth in all places al that he is willing to doe Yea we doe confesse with S. Paule that by his helpe that doth comfort strengthen vs we are able to doe all things So farre are we from thinking that man is not or may not be able by Gods helpe to refuse to commit murder c. But Cerberus sayth it is playne that as choose and can not choose doe agrée togither so doth our opinion agrée with the Scripture And then he setteth méere necessitie and violent compulsion against Christian libertie That doctrine may be his owne We refuse it as none of ours But if Cerberus would come to talke a man might aske him in what pointes the Christian libertie doth consist Whether he meane that it consisteth in an absolute power to do what we will bicause he maketh mere necessitie and violent compulsion the contraries to it If he meane so then doth he not meane as S. Paule doth meane in his Epistle to y ◠Galathiās where he exhorteth them to stande in that libertie wherewith Christ hath made vs free As may well appeare to as many as will reade the Text. Well I will leaue thys matter tyll I may knowe Cerberus and talke with him mouth to mouth As for those that be so scrupulous in the wordes of choyse let them if there be any such aunswere for themselues For my parte I can be well contented to reade them and heare them too but to apply them as Cerberus doth I think no man can be to scrupulous that will not agrée with Cotta who woulde rather that God shoulde not know of things before they came to passe than that man should not haue frée choyse to doe what he will And yet do I not follow the spirit of Pelagius as I haue shewed before vpon that ninth Article that Cerberus speaketh of neyther haue I in séeking to escape the daungerous Hurlepoole dashed my shippe against the perillous Rocke as Cerberus woulde haue men to thinke that I and such other haue But if Gods predestination be the cause c. Then saith Cerberus c. This if is alreadie aunswered I wil not therfore trouble the Reader with it any more But if Gods predestination worke all then the Diuell man lawes doctrine and prayer do nothing Thys is the very reason that Cotta and Cicero made as S. Austen declareth in his syft booke De Ciuitate Dei Cap. 9. And in the tenth Chapter of the same booke he doth aunswere this obiection declaring to what vse lawes doctrine and prayers do serue His wordes are these Malè autem viuitur si de Deo nòn benè creditur Vnde absit à nobis eius negare praescientiam vt liberi esse velimus quo adiuuante sumus liberi vel crimus Proinde nòn frustra sunt leges obiurgationes exhortationes laudes vituperationes quia ipsas futuras praesciuit valent plurimum quantum illas valeturas praesciuit praeces valent ad ea impetranda quae se praecantibus concessurū esse praesciuit iusta premia bonis factis peccatis supplicia constituta sunt Neque enim ideo peccat home quia Deus illum peccaturum praesciuit imò ideo nòn dubitatur ipsum peccare cùm peccat quia